Hydraulic clutch



Sept. 12, 1939. L. B. HUTHslNG 2,172,975

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH Filed oct. 25, 1937 Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

invention relates to hydraulic clutches adapted for a variety ofpurposes, but which I have shown as a hydraulic clutch for Winches.

Among the salient objects of my invention are:

To provide a simple, practical and quick-acting clutch which can becontrolled in a very simple and easy manner to drive the winch or othermember connectedv therewith.

To provide a hydraulic clutch in which a double piston-like member issecured to a shaft, to turn therewith, with cylinder-like membersmovably mounted over said piston-like members, and which are operable inan eccentrically formed casing or body, to turn freely therein or towedge therein so as to drive said casing or body, said casing or bodybeing secured to the winch or other member to be driven.

To provide in a hydraulic clutch of the character referred to aself-contained mechanism filled with oil or other suitable liquid whichcan be circulated therein Vby the relative movements of thecylinder-like members over the piston-like members, withv a'simple valvefor closing the passageways in a way to lock said cylinder-like 'membersagainst relative movement and to cause them to wedge or grip the insideof the eccentric body.

Other advantages and features of improvement `will appear from thefollowing description of one ,practical vembodiment of my invention,shown on the accompanying sheet of drawing, in which- Figure l is 'alongitudinal sectional View through a winch and hydraulic clutchmechanism embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is atransverse sectional view there through taken on line 2 2of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View therethrough taken on line 3-3of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line4-4 of Fig 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a power or drive shaft 5 isshown with a winch or pulley 6 mounted thereon, with suitableball-bearing mountings 1, 1, therein, and with suitable bushing andpacking at 8 to prevent any escape of oil or other liquid therein. Onthe end of said winch or pulley 6 is a cylindrical body or case 9',eccentrically formed, as will be evidenced by the'thickness of rthelower side thereof in Figs. 2 and 3, Fig. 2 being an end View with theouter plate or member I' removed. Said outer plate or member I Il issecured in place by means of n,screw bolts lI I, II, and. has thereinball bearing lmounting I2, and also a bushingand packing I3. The end ofthe power or 'drive shaft'5 has a central bore I4, to receive a valverod I5, tapered at its inner end to seat in a reduced part of said boredesignated I4', said bore being continued in a reduced form, as at I6,and intersecting a transverse bore I1 through said shaft 5,

which transverse boreY I1 communicates at its opposite ends with a spaceI8 within the winch or pulley E, as clearly seen in Fig. 1.

Securely keyed to said shaft 5, Within said case or body is a doubleended piston-like member I9, having the middle round portion I9 and thereduced piston-like portions, I9, I9, with the usual piston rings 2t,28, thereon, said member being secured to the shaft by the keys 2|, 2|,Fig. 3.

Slidably mounted over the opposedpiston portions I9, I9, are twocylindrical members 22, 22, having their opposite sides flat, as at 22',22', to bear against the end walls of the body and outer plate i0, saidmembers 22, 22, having their adjacent ends, at opposite sides, cut away,as at 23, 23, to give clearance for a limited longitudinal movement.Said adjacent ends are also provided with inset coiled springs 24, 24,which operate to normally hold said cylindrical members 22, 22, yieldingapart.

In the outer ends of said cylindrical members are set two screw plugs,as 25, 25, having therein short pistons 26, 26, with coiled springs 21,21, normally pressing them inwardly, said short pistons 28, 25,operating to take the sudden shock, if any, when the free flow of theoil or uid is stopped by closing the valve rod I5, again referred to.

Said piston member I9 has therethrough, longitudinally thereof, apassageway or bore 28, Which intersects the central bore I4 in the shaft5, and at its opposite ends is open to the spaces in the cylindermembers 22, 22, and against the short pistons 26, 26, as seen in Figs. 1and 3.

Mounted on the outer plate I0, is a cone shaped cap 29, through whichthe outer end of the valve rod I ext-ends, and Within which, on saidvalve rod, is a coiled spring 30, operating against a collar 3l on saidvalve rod, to normally hold said valve rod I5 in its outer or openposition, as seen yin Fig. l.

It will be understood that the interior of the members 9 and 6 are lledwith oil or other Vsuitable liquid, and that when the valve rod I5 isout, as shown, the oil is circulated through the o pen passages by themovement of the cylinder members 22, 22, over the piston-like membersI9, S9, as said piston-like members are revolved with the power shaft 5,said cylinder members 22, 22, being moved by the inner surface of theeccentric body 9, said movements being free and easy so long as thevalve rod I5 is out and the passages 28, I6 and I1 are open. When thevalve rod I5 is pushed in the passages 28 and I 6 are closed and the oilis nolonger free to escape from the spaces at the ends of the pistonsI9, i9, and when saidcylinder members 22, 22, cannot movelongitudinally, their ends, which are rounded to a ground fit, bind orlock to the body 9.'v

CII

The double ended piston member I9, is provided with passageways withspring check valves therein, as at 32, 32, 33, 33, at opposite sides ofsaid shaft 5 and parallel with said shaft, as seen clearly in Fig. 1, topermit the hydraulic fluid to escape from the outer side of the pistonmember to the opposite side thereof.

The screw plug members 25, 25, in the opposite ends of the cylindermembers 22, 22, are provided With small bleeder openings 25', 25', sothat in case any oil should get past the springs 21, 21, it could escapeinto the body 9 as said members revolve therein. Thus I have provided acompact and practical hydraulic clutch, with simple means forcontrolling the same, and while I have shown and described in detail onepractical form or embodiment of the invention, I am aware that changesin the details of construction and arrangement can be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not, therefore,limit the invention to the showing made for descriptive purposes, exceptas I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hydraulic clutch mechanism including in combination, a drive shafthaving a central bore into one end thereof and a transverse boretherethrough intersecting said central bore; a valve rod movablelongitudinally in said central bore to close said transverse bore, adouble ended piston member mounted transversely on said shaft andsecured thereto and having a passageway therethrough longitudinally tointersect and communicate with the transverse bore through said shaft,cylinder members movably mounted over the opposite pistons at oppositesides of said shaft, a member to be driven, said member having securedthereto a body having therein a cylindrical chamber eccentricallypositioned relative to said shaft, within which said cylinder membersand said double ended piston member turns with said shaft, the ends ofsaid cylinder members being adapted to have locking engagement with saideccentric chamber when said cylinder members are held against relativemovement on said pistons, a liquid filling said body and said cylindermembers and said passageways, said valve rod being adapted to be movedto close said passageways and prevent circulation of said liquid,whereby to prevent relative movement of said cylinder` members on saidpistons, and means yieldingly holding said cylinder members apart whilepermitting transverse bodily movement thereof on said drive shaft.

2. A hydraulic clutch including in combination: a drive shaft, a memberthereon to be driven, said member having a cylindrical chamberpositioned eccentrically of said shaft, a double ended piston membertherein, secured to said shaft, with its piston portions extended inopposite directions radially from said shaft within said eccentricchamber, cylinder members adapted to said piston portions andtelescoping thereover with their outer ends closed and adapted to bemoved into wedging engagement with said eccentric chamber wall to locksaid shaft to said member to be driven, said chamber and cylindermembers being adapted to be lled with a hydraulic liquid, passagewaysformed in said piston member and said shaft with valve means adapted tmbe operated to prevent floW of said hydraulic liquid from said cylindermembers and said pistons, whereby to cause said cylinder members to lockwith said eccentric cylinder wall, for the purpose referred to, andcushioning means within the ends of said cylinders at the ends of saidpistons, to absorb shock.

3. In a clutch mechanism, in combination, a driving member, a drivenmember, and controllable driving means therebetween and including adouble ended piston secured transversely on said driving member toextend radially from opposite sides thereof, within said driven member,cylinder members placed over said piston ends and having their innerends fitting around said driving member, whereby to position their innerends together, spring means interposed between said adjacent inner endsto yieldingly move them apart, said inner ends having clearance aroundsaid driving member to permit radial longitudinal movement of saidcylinder members together, the outer ends of said cylinder membershaving therein friction means to frictionally engage said driven memberand said driven member being eccentrically positioned around saiddriving member and said cylinder members, and spring cushioning membersinterposed between said pistons and the outer ends of said cylindricalmembers, a hydraulic fluid in said driven member and said cylinders tobe circulated by the relative movement of said cylinder members on saiddouble ended piston, and valve means operable to stop circulationmovement of said fluid, whereby to prevent relative movement of saidcylinder members on said double ended piston, and to lock said cylindermembers to said driven member.

4. In a hydraulic clutch, a member have a cylindrical, eccentricallypositioned inner wall, a drive shaft centrally of said member, a doubleended piston member secured to said drive shaft, transversely thereof,to turn therewith within said eccentrically positioned wall, cylindermembers over said double ended piston member and movable together inopposite directions thereon into frictional engagement with the innereccentric wall of said first member, and a spring pressed cushion memberin the outer end of each of said cylinder members, a hydraulic fluid insaid clutch mechanism and said cylinder members, and adapted to becirculated by the movement of said cylinder members on said double endedpiston member, and valve means manually operable for closing thepassageway for said fluid, whereby to cause said cylinder members to beforced into holding frictional engagement with said first member.

5. In a clutch mechanism, a`driving shaft, a cylindrical driven member,the interior of which is eccentrically positioned relative to saidshaft, a double ended piston member transversely on saidshaft andsecured thereto to turn therewith within said cylindrical member, ahydraulic fluid within said driven member, cylinder members on theopposite ends of said double ended piston ,memben valveV means forcontrolling the movement of said fluid, and means interposed between theouter ends of said cylinder members and the outer ends of. said pistonoperable by said fluid for causing.V cushioning action of said hydraulicfluid between said cylinder Ymembers and the ends of said pistonmembers.

LEO B. HUTHSING.

